RFID tags are used in a multitude of situations and may need to operate in two or more distinct conditions or states. A basic example of when an RFID tag is configured to alternate between two different states is when an RFID tag can be activated and deactivated. RFID tags may be deactivated by disrupting the radio frequency (RF) field of the tag. The utility of RFID tags, however, depends on their size, simplicity, and efficiency, and methods for deactivating RFID tags should take into account these factors. Further, as RFID tags transition between states, the present state of the RFID tag may be difficult to ascertain. It may be especially challenging to conveniently and accurately determine the current state of RFID tags that are configured to operate in more than two different states.